MINNEAPOLIS -- Harmon Killebrew, the Minnesota Twins slugger known for his tape-measure home runs, has died at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., after battling esophageal cancer. He was 74.

The team said Killebrew died peacefully Tuesday morning with his wife, Nita, and their family at his side.

He had announced in December that he had been diagnosed with cancer. Last week, Killebrew announced that doctors had deemed his cancer incurable and he would no longer fight the "awful disease."

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Killebrew hit 573 home runs during his 22-year career, 11th-most in major league history. His eight seasons with 40 or more homers still is tied for second in league history to Babe Ruth.

"No individual has ever meant more to the Minnesota Twins organization and millions of fans across Twins territory than Harmon Killebrew," Twins president Dave St. Peter said. He said Killebrew's legacy "will be the class, dignity and humility he demonstrated each and every day as a Hall of Fame-quality husband, father, friend, teammate and man. The Twins extend heartfelt sympathies and prayers to the Killebrew family at this difficult time."

Former teammate Tony Oliva said Tuesday the Twins flew him out to Arizona on Saturday so he could spend time with Killebrew.

"It's very hard, we knew each other about 50 years," Oliva told ESPN on Tuesday after learning of Killebrew's death. "I saw him Saturday and he looked very good, even though he was very sick. He was smiling and making jokes."

Killebrew broke in with the Washington Senators in 1954 as an 18-year-old. He spent most of his first five seasons in the minors, then hit 42 homers in his first full season in 1959.

The Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961, and Killebrew hit 190 homers in his first four seasons there, including 49 in 1964.

The 11-time All-Star was the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1969 after hitting 49 home runs with 140 RBIs and 145 walks, all team records that stand to this day.

"I found out early in life that I could hit a baseball farther than most players and that's what I tried to do," Killebrew said.

Behind their soft-spoken slugger nicknamed "The Killer," the Twins reached the World Series for the first time in 1965 and back-to-back AL Championship Series in 1969 and 1970.

Former Twins owner Calvin Griffith used to call Killebrew the backbone of the franchise. "He kept us in business," Griffith said.

The man whose silhouette inspired Major League Baseball's official logo was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984, the first Twin to be enshrined. Killebrew's No. 3 jersey was retired in 1975. Killebrew's easygoing demeanor contrasted starkly with his nickname and standing as one of baseball's most feared hitters.

"I didn't have evil intentions," Killebrew said on his website. "But I guess I did have power."

Harmon Clayton Killebrew was born June 29, 1936, in the Idaho farm town of Payette. He was an all-state quarterback in high school, but it was his power with a baseball bat in his hands that got Killebrew noticed by Washington Senators scout Ossie Bluege.

On Killebrew's website, Bluege recounts the story of how he signed the 17-year-old to a $30,000 contract in 1953.

"I waited for the rain to stop in Payette, Idaho and then he hit one a mile over the left field fence," Bluege said. "I stepped it off the next morning and measured it at 435 feet. That convinced me."

Killebrew didn't just hit balls over the fence, he turned at-bats into longest-drive contests. He never worried much about his short game, preferring instead to swing for the fences, and wound up with a career .256 average.

"I didn't think much about batting average when I was playing," Killebrew said.

On June 3, 1967, Killebrew belted the longest home run in Met Stadium history, a shot that reached the second deck of the bleachers in the old park, some 500 feet from home plate.

"He hit line drives that put the opposition in jeopardy," Bluege once said. "And I don't mean the infielders. I mean the outfielders."

Killebrew finished his career with one season in Kansas City in 1975.

Jane Forbes Clark, chairwoman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, said Killebrew personified Hall of Fame excellence and was simply one of the greatest hitters of all time.

"Since joining the Hall of Fame family in 1984, Harmon was a beacon of light among his fellow Hall of Famers, always smiling, always enjoying every moment that life delivered to his doorstep," she said. "We have so many fond memories of this wonderful baseball hero, and we will miss him enormously."

Killebrew and Nita had nine children.

In retirement, he became a successful businessman in insurance, financial planning and car sales. He also traveled the country with baseball memorabilia shows and returned to the Twin Cities regularly, delighting in conversations with fans and reunions with teammates.

"I never thought anything would compare to being elected into the Hall of Fame, but being able to interact with fans once my playing days were over has been just as gratifying," Killebrew said.

Information from ESPN's Willie Weinbaum and The Associated Press was used in this report.

MINNEAPOLIS -- After a series of stinging rebukes from federal judges, the NFL has a significant, favorable ruling in hand from a higher court.

The lockout remains in place, and the same panel that sided with the league to keep it will hear arguments next month on the legality of the NFL's first work stoppage in nearly 14 years.

"

It's a disappointment obviously, but as far as we can tell this is the first sports league in history who sued to not play its game. Congratulations.

" -- NFLPA leader DeMaurice Smith, after 8th Circuit's ruling

So as owners and players and their legal counsel return to court-ordered mediation on Tuesday morning, the likelihood of the league giving ground in talks has clearly decreased.

Commissioner Roger Goodell arrived Tuesday morning with other league leaders, and other owners entered the courthouse in separate small groups. Linebacker Mike Vrabel showed up shortly before attorneys for the players.

With restlessness and uncertainty surrounding the NFL with the start of training camps a little more than two months away, the players could be in a tricky place.

DeMaurice Smith, the head of the NFL Players Association, sounded defiant outside the courthouse in Minneapolis on Monday despite the 2-1 decision from the three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

"Right now our guys are working out for free, because they dig the game," Smith said.

The hearing is scheduled for June 3.

"We'd like to make progress, but it'll be hard to do. We have to wait to see what happens June 3," Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II said earlier on his way into the federal courthouse for Monday's mediation.

"We look forward to the argument. Look: This is something that the players are prepared for," Smith said. "It's a disappointment obviously, but as far as we can tell this is the first sports league in history who sued to not play its game. Congratulations."

Both sides stuck to their message.

The owners want to stay out of court, blaming the players for preferring litigation. The players claim they're only interested in playing and that the owners are preventing them and fans from enjoying the game.

"We have an opportunity to resolve this matter and get the game back on the field, and that really should be our exclusive focus," NFL lead negotiator Jeff Pash said.

Goodell, speaking to Buffalo Bills season ticket holders on a conference call Monday, said he thinks there's "still time" to strike a new collective bargaining agreement.

"But time is running short. It's time to get back to the table and get those issues resolved," Goodell said.

NFLPA president Kevin Mawae told The Associated Press he was disappointed with the 8th Circuit's decision.

"The ruling in granting the stay of the injunction means that the NFL owners can continue to not let football be played," he said.

The appellate court said it believes the NFL has proven it "likely will suffer some degree of irreparable harm without a stay." The court also cast doubt on the conclusions of U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson, who ruled April 25 that the lockout should be lifted to save the players from irreversible damage. The 8th Circuit panel put her decision on hold four days later, and this order was a more permanent stay of her ruling.

"Both sides raise valid points, and this is a case in which one party or the other likely will suffer some degree of irreparable harm no matter how this court resolves the motion for a stay pending appeal," the majority wrote. "We do not agree, however, with the district court's apparent view that the balance of the equities tilts heavily in favor of the Players. The district court gave little or no weight to the harm caused to the League by an injunction issued in the midst of an ongoing dispute over terms and conditions of employment."

The appellate court said it would make its decision quickly, a "circumstance that should minimize harm to the players during the offseason and allow the case to be resolved well before the scheduled beginning of the 2011 season."

The two sides met Monday for more than eight hours before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan, the fifth day of mediation but the first since April 20. Neither side would elaborate on the discussions, citing the judge's confidentiality order. Michael Hausfeld, an attorney for the retired players who joined the antitrust lawsuit against the league, said the players were reviewing a new proposal from the owners.

"It probably is not one that would be acceptable as is, but it clearly opens a dialogue," Hausfeld said.

The 8th Circuit's decision to keep the lockout in place could be a signal of how the two sides will fare in the full appeal. The majority opinion, from Judges Steven Colloton and Duane Benton, sided with the NFL. Judge Kermit Bye dissented in favor of the players.

"The district court reasoned that this case does not involve or grow out of a labor dispute because the players no longer are represented by a union," the majority wrote. "We have considerable doubt about this interpretation."

The 8th Circuit has been seen as a more conservative, business-friendly venue for the NFL than the federal courts in Minnesota. Colloton and Benton were both appointed by Republican President George W. Bush; Bye was appointed by President Clinton, a Democrat.

Bye dismissed the conclusions of his fellow judges, just as he did on April 29 in dissenting against a temporary stay. He didn't buy the NFL's argument that it would be unable to "unscramble the egg" -- a reference to the chaos of handling player transactions with no CBA in place.

"The preliminary injunction does not dictate the NFL's free agency rules, or any other conduct in general, outside of the lockout," Bye said.

Still in the courts is a separate but related matter. U.S. District Judge David Doty is determining the fate of some $4 billion in broadcast revenue he previously ruled was unfairly secured by the NFL in the last round of contract extensions with the networks to use as leverage in the form of lockout insurance. The players have asked Doty to put that money in escrow and for more than $707 million in damages, too.

Goodell, Pash and four team owners -- Rooney, Mike Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals, John Mara of the New York Giants and Jerry Richardson of the Carolina Panthers -- were on hand with their legal team for Monday's session with Boylan.

Smith and three other lawyers for the players were present for their side. Linebacker Ben Leber, one of the players listed as a plaintiff in the still-pending federal antitrust lawsuit against the league, also attended. Hall of Famer Carl Eller and attorneys were there representing the retired players.

Eller told Paolantonio earlier Monday that Boylan extended Monday's talks after the owners agreed to produce a new offer.

Eller said the league's decision created "positive feelings in the room."

"I think there is progress. We are waiting on a new concrete proposal from the owners that the players can respond to. This is progress. This is good," Eller told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Jorge Posada's decision to take himself out of the lineup turned into a major media conflagration over the weekend, but it appears that the New York Yankees have quickly worked through a brushfire with Derek Jeter.

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Club officials were unhappy with Jeter's comments about Posada on Sunday, feeling that he essentially condoned his longtime teammate's actions with what he said to reporters. But on Monday, the Yankees held an internal conference call regarding the matter with Jeter, team president Randy Levine, general manager Brian Cashman and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner. Jeter said that all sides were on the same page.

No one would say how long they were on, nor what was discussed, nor even who initiated the call.

But, as Jeter repeated no less than eight times in a four-minute interview at his locker before Monday night's Yankees-Rays game, "We are all on the same page.

"If I tell you we talked for 20 minutes, you're going to try to find out what we talked about for 20 minutes. If I tell you we talked for 30 seconds, you're going to say it was too short. So I got nothing for you."

Posada, a catcher-turned-fulltime DH, is struggling at the plate -- he's hitting .165 and remains hitless against left-handed pitching. He was dropped to the ninth spot in the batting order for Saturday's game and asked out of the lineup because he felt disrespected.

Jeter is close friends with Posada and described him on Sunday as someone he regards as a brother. He repeatedly deflected questions Sunday about Posada's actions and said there was no reason for him to apologize to teammates, after declining to play on Saturday. The team's front office was so angry with what Posada did that they considered releasing the veteran immediately.

Jeter had a very different take.

"If I thought he did something wrong, I'd be the first to tell him," Jeter said in the midst of a long session with reporters.

Posada did not talk to reporters before Monday's game.

He was not in the starting lineup, a move Girardi said was because the Rays started David Price, a left-hander.

"Jorgie's going through a rough period,'' Girardi said before the Yanks lost 6-5. "When a guy's had as much success as him, you expect success every year. I'm not saying that he's not going to have it, that he's not going to turn it around, but it's been a struggle for him. None of us want to see him struggle.''

Asked if Posada would start Tuesday against right-hander James Shields, Girardi said, "We'll talk about tomorrow, tomorrow.''

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"When you're hitting [.165], you're lucky to be in the lineup," Hank Steinbrenner told The Associated Press of Posada. "He'll come back, I'll guarantee that."

The rift between the Yankees and Posada also existed in spring training. Team sources told ESPN that Posada refused to catch during a spring training game as he was worried about the concussion he suffered behind the plate late in the 2010 season.

Posada, however, refuted that this occurred in comments made to the New York Daily News, which first reported the incident.

"Not at all. Not once. A hundred percent," he told the newspaper. "Not even close. They told me to go to the bullpen and stuff so I caught in the bullpen every once in a while, but they never asked me [to catch in a game]."

Meanwhile, Jeter did not want to talk about anything that happened Monday.

"I told you [Sunday] I was going to talk about it once and that was going to be it,'' Jeter said. "I learned a long time ago the longer you talk about things the longer they last. So this is over with. It's a non-issue.''

Girardi said he thought the mini-controversy might actually be a plus for his team, which entering Monday had lost five in a row and eight of its last 10 and fell into second-place in the AL East, 1½ games behind the Rays, after being swept at home over the weekend by the Red Sox.

"You know, it might be the best time for this to happen,'' Girardi said. "It might be what brings this club even closer. This is a close-knit group of guys but this might be what pulls us even closer and maybe gets the focus off one of the guy's recent struggles and gets this club going. You go through eight-and-a-half months together, there are things that are going to happen. Some of them become public, some of the don't but this is a great group of guys and we'll get this righted."

"It's early, but the team needs to get it together," Steinbrenner told AP. "We've got too much talent to be swept by anybody at Yankee Stadium, even if we're playing the '27 Yankees. It's not acceptable. We need to start doing what I know we can do."

Senior writer Buster Olney covers baseball for ESPN The Magazine. ESPNNewYork.com's Wallace Matthews and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Butler didn't get its national title in Houston.

At least it can carry the torch for academic success among the best college sports teams.

On Tuesday, the NCAA released its list of academic overachievers, and Butler was the only team among those that reached the championship round in Division I football, men's basketball or women's basketball.

NCAA officials annually announce the top 10 percent of teams in each sport and all teams with perfect Academic Progress Rate scores. This year, 909 teams made the list of so-called overachievers. That's an increase of 68 from last year and nearly 150 from two years ago.

Actual scores will not be released until next week, when the NCAA will announce sanctions for teams that have consistently underperformed below the standard cutline of 925. The APR measures the classroom performance of every Division I student-athlete, composing a score for each team. It is based on data collected from 2006-07 through 2009-10.

This year's top teams all scored between 977 and a perfect 1,000.

It's the second straight year Butler has finished as national runner-up in men's basketball and also been recognized as one of the nation's top programs academically.

But this year's results were a stark contrast to what happened last year.

Three of the 2010 men's Final Four teams -- Butler, Michigan State and West Virginia -- all made the list in 2010. All three did this year, too, as did Duke, the 2010 national champion.

A year ago, Oklahoma was the only women's team in the Final Four to make it. This year none of the four -- Connecticut, Notre Dame, Stanford or Texas A&M -- were mentioned.

That's only the start.

The teams that played for the BCS title, Auburn and Oregon; the teams that played for last year's College World Series title, South Carolina and UCLA; and the two teams in last summer's NCAA softball championship, UCLA and Arizona, all were left off.

Even the teams squaring off for the Football Championship Subdivision title game -- Eastern Washington and Delaware -- didn't make it.

The only men's hockey team to reach the Frozen Four and overachieve in the classroom was Notre Dame.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press